I'm Loving Angels Instead
Strangers
"Hey, Dana. This is Jeff, Lupe, Amber, Melissa, and Claudia."
"Our brother, Daniel, is at a friend's house," one girl announced.
"Dad, where's Vann?"
"In the house."
"Alone?"
"Of course not."
I dropped my purse on the floor of the entry hall and tossed the car keys into the bowl on the counter. Vann's giggles could be heard coming from the living room, and I made my way through the halls, stopping short in the doorway.
"What are you doing?"
David looked up and smiled. "Hi."
"What are you doing?"
"Playing with Vann. Is that bad?"
"Well---"
"Dana!"
"Tweedle-dum and Tweedle-dummer. Great. Come on, Vann; time for tub-tub."
The little one-year-old arms stretched up toward me; I picked him up and carried him to the bathroom. His enormous smiled as i set him in the tub melted my heart.
"You're good with him."
"Dad's usually at work, so I'm the one taking care of him most of the time."
"What happened to your mom?"
I glared at Emily and said, "It's none of your business."
"Hey, sorry."
"Just leave."
"But---"
"Come on, Em. Let's go."
Once the door shut behind the two, I sighed and kissed Vann's forehead. He glanced up at me with wide blue eyes but then went back to splashing the water. I forced a chuckle and finished giving him his bath.
-♥-
"Unacceptable? How was it unacceptable?"
"You told your guests to leave."
"They weren't my guests. They were yours."
"Dana, why aren't you trying?"
"Because I don't care. I want them to leave me alone. There's nothing here for me."
"Dana, I'm sick of this attitude. I take you away from Brookston in hopes that you'll change the way you behave, but you haven't."
"You don't see me partying every night,. I'm not staying out till two or three in the morning, skipping school just to get stoned or drunk. I'm in school every day, all day. I'm home before ten, and if I'm not in the house, I'm on the back porch. So tell me, Dad. How the Hell have I not changed?"
"You hold this air about you that screams you think you're better than everyone else."
"Just because I don't need any more shit to go wrong in my life?"
"Watch your language."
"Fuck you. Do you even know me anymore?"
"Yes."
"Really? What's my favourite colour?"
"Green. What does this---?"
"Wrong. It's teal. What's my lucky number?"
"Twelve."
"Wrong, again. It's twenty-one. Oh, here's one. Who's my favourite female celebrity?"
"Angelina Jolie."
"My favourite, not yours. Whatever. I'm going to bed." I paused at the door. "By the way, it's Gwen Stefani."
-♥-
"Get ready for school."
"I'm staying home."
"Why?"
"Because Vann's sick."
"Lupe is taking care of him."
"Fine."
I slammed through the house, shoved my feet into my tennis shoes, and stormed out to the bus stop. David was already there; he smiled slightly.
"Still mad at your dad?"
"How'd---?"
"Your guys' fight wasn't quiet."
"Oh. Yeah. I don't know. I love him, but he knows nothing about me. We're like strangers now."
"Our brother, Daniel, is at a friend's house," one girl announced.
"Dad, where's Vann?"
"In the house."
"Alone?"
"Of course not."
I dropped my purse on the floor of the entry hall and tossed the car keys into the bowl on the counter. Vann's giggles could be heard coming from the living room, and I made my way through the halls, stopping short in the doorway.
"What are you doing?"
David looked up and smiled. "Hi."
"What are you doing?"
"Playing with Vann. Is that bad?"
"Well---"
"Dana!"
"Tweedle-dum and Tweedle-dummer. Great. Come on, Vann; time for tub-tub."
The little one-year-old arms stretched up toward me; I picked him up and carried him to the bathroom. His enormous smiled as i set him in the tub melted my heart.
"You're good with him."
"Dad's usually at work, so I'm the one taking care of him most of the time."
"What happened to your mom?"
I glared at Emily and said, "It's none of your business."
"Hey, sorry."
"Just leave."
"But---"
"Come on, Em. Let's go."
Once the door shut behind the two, I sighed and kissed Vann's forehead. He glanced up at me with wide blue eyes but then went back to splashing the water. I forced a chuckle and finished giving him his bath.
-♥-
"Unacceptable? How was it unacceptable?"
"You told your guests to leave."
"They weren't my guests. They were yours."
"Dana, why aren't you trying?"
"Because I don't care. I want them to leave me alone. There's nothing here for me."
"Dana, I'm sick of this attitude. I take you away from Brookston in hopes that you'll change the way you behave, but you haven't."
"You don't see me partying every night,. I'm not staying out till two or three in the morning, skipping school just to get stoned or drunk. I'm in school every day, all day. I'm home before ten, and if I'm not in the house, I'm on the back porch. So tell me, Dad. How the Hell have I not changed?"
"You hold this air about you that screams you think you're better than everyone else."
"Just because I don't need any more shit to go wrong in my life?"
"Watch your language."
"Fuck you. Do you even know me anymore?"
"Yes."
"Really? What's my favourite colour?"
"Green. What does this---?"
"Wrong. It's teal. What's my lucky number?"
"Twelve."
"Wrong, again. It's twenty-one. Oh, here's one. Who's my favourite female celebrity?"
"Angelina Jolie."
"My favourite, not yours. Whatever. I'm going to bed." I paused at the door. "By the way, it's Gwen Stefani."
-♥-
"Get ready for school."
"I'm staying home."
"Why?"
"Because Vann's sick."
"Lupe is taking care of him."
"Fine."
I slammed through the house, shoved my feet into my tennis shoes, and stormed out to the bus stop. David was already there; he smiled slightly.
"Still mad at your dad?"
"How'd---?"
"Your guys' fight wasn't quiet."
"Oh. Yeah. I don't know. I love him, but he knows nothing about me. We're like strangers now."